In League A, the top two teams in each group progress to the quarter-finals. Group winners are drawn against runners-up from different groups, setting up an eight-team knockout bracket.
The quarter-finals are played over two legs in March. The four winners then advance to the finals, where the semi-finals and final are played as single matches. The format gives group position a direct consequence: finish first and a team enters the draw as a group winner; finish second and it joins the runners-up.
England are through, so Sunday is not a survival test. It is a chance to finish top and secure group-winner status before the draw. A win over Spain would settle that question; anything less leaves England’s final position dependent on the group outcome.
The draw cannot provide England’s opponent until the remaining standings are confirmed. That makes the Spain match the final piece of the group-stage picture, rather than a standalone fixture.
England’s immediate focus is Madrid. After that, the November draw will turn the qualification into a specific quarter-final pairing, with a two-legged test waiting in March.